Winter RVers heading south find it difficult, even impossible to locate campgrounds which are open. Even if they do, they will likely find the water and sewer hookups are shut down and winterized.
At the end of a long day’s drive most of us want to stop, park, and rest. But what do you do when no campgrounds are available. Well, you look for a place to park for the night.
That can be difficult unless you have done your homework first. If you need help, you can get it from the Allstays website. The site provides a wide variety of choices designed to help you find what you are looking for.
Not all overnight parking spaces are great choices. Sometimes it depends on how desperate your needs are. if you are tired you need to stop and rest. Don’t be a hazard on the highways.
In some cases this is driven by pressure from campground owner groups who want to drive customers to their campsites. Of course it doesn’t sound fair that someone can build a campground, and expect the municipalities to force customers to them. If that were true, then RVers should not be allowed to have kitchens because they are eating in their RVs rather than attending the local restaurant. In fact most RVers spend money at the Walmart they have stopped at. They get groceries, and hard goods too. they are spending their money locally.
Walmart stores have been an oasis for the traveller for many years. in recent times they’ve become a ‘not so sure’ night stop. Although the administration of Walmart are ‘night parking’ friendly, other factors are playing roles that limit the number of friendly Walmarts. It may be that they don’t own their parking lot and are part of a mall, and the mall owners may not permit vehicles overnight. Cities or municipalities may pass bylaws making it illegal to park on store lots overnight, and some even prevent you parking on the street.
Some of the problems are created by the RVers themselves by:
- not asking permission to stay. It is after all private property!!
- by showing themselves obviously camping. They put out awnings, send down the levelling jacks often damaging the pavement, they put out their barbeque and chairs. Then we wonder why campground owners complain.
- they sometimes are rowdy.
- they leave behind garbage. Who needs that?
- They let the kids play, ride bikes, or skateboards on the roadways.
- some move in and appear to be taking up residence.
What other places let RVs park for the night? You might try Costco, KMart, Home Depot, Lowes, and Cracker Barrel.
Most Cracker Barrels will have a place for you to park, but phone ahead so that you are not depending upon it, only to find you can’t stay. Of course it’s free, but you should try to eat supper, or breakfast there. It helps in keeping them believing that it’s worth while to offer the spaces.
Passport America has a programme that allows you to get a reduction of a campsite cost. There are limitations and times that you can get these. http://www.passport-america.com/
If you are eager to get off the road, no matter what, you could stop at truckstop fuel places such as Flying J, Pilot, or Loves. Sometimes there will be separate slots for RVs, but you’d not be surprised at how many cars park in them. No sense in some people. Be prepared to listen to noise of engines wasting fuel and wearing themselves out for little reason.
Some Provinces, and States allow you to park overnight at rest areas. You have to be careful not to park in dangerous areas, particularly near towns and cities.
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